Shouting and being shouted at

Weather: Partly Cloudy
Temperature: 37°

One thing I noticed: Shanghainese do not talk, they shout. They don’t talk through the phone, they shout at the phone.


Please don’t get me wrong. I have no intention to belittle Shanghainese. It’s just the way they communicate with each other, that’s all. For example, I have a friend who does not understand Hokkien finds Klang people very rude because they speak Hokkien and Hokkien to her is a very “rude” language. But are Klang people rude? Well, not all. So you get my point?

I remembered when I bought my subway ticket, the young lady at the ticket counter shouted at me, “去哪里!? (where you want to go?)”. I was so shocked and speechless. I studied the young lady again. She was young, soft and beautiful. How could she yell at me just because I wanted to buy ticket? It just didn’t fit her profile. But later I got the answer. There was nothing wrong with her. The problem was with me: it’s a culture shock. That’s just the way they communicate, that’s all.

She did not shout at me with anger or malice intent. She did not want to be impolite. It’s just that she had been talking like that since she uttered her first word. The people around her also speak that way. So what’s wrong with shouting at people when you need an answer? When everyone is doing the same thing and the same thing is accepted by everyone, it is not wrong to do the same thing. That is my logic.

That explained the old ladies I met in Airport. They were actually politely asking me to stop pushing trolley beyond the main entrance. Only difference is the tone and the volume of their voice. To foreign ears, it was harsh and rude. But once you have breathed in enough Shanghai air, you will not be offended by their conduct. It was just a way of life.

My friend advised me the key to survival in Shanghai is to behave like a Shanghainese. “Do not let them know you are not local” my friend said.

So in order to be a Shanghainese I have to act like one. I should stop talking and start shouting. When I order my meal in a restaurant, I shout, “服务员， 点菜!!! (Waiter, order!)”. When someone approaches me to sell me something, I shout, “走开!!! (Go away!)”. When I want to ask for direction, I again shout, “武宁路怎么去?!! (How to get to Wuning Road?!)”.

After 3 days of practice, my shouting skill improves tremendously. (I am just worried I will unconsciously import this habit back to Malaysia then I will scream at my father just to say,” DAD!!! I MISS YOU SO MUCH!!!!”)

This is a fair game: you get your chance shouting at people, you also get your fair chance getting shouted at. And this is no joke. If you are not used to being yelled at all the time, don’t walk on the streets of Shanghai alone. The traffic police will yell at you, the bus drivers will yell at you, the security guards will yell at you and even the janitors will yell at you until you wonder what have you done wrong.